Swingsets
by Elvarya
Summary: Tony is trying to introduce Loki to the better parts of Midgardian life, so he takes him to a swingset.


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"What are we doing here, Tony?" Loki demanded, staring around the place in a general state of confusion.

"We're going on the swingset, that's what we're doing here." Tony looked at him matter-of-factly, and Loki let out a laugh.

"No, really, what are we doing here?" However, Tony's expression didn't waver. "You can't be serious, Stark," Loki insisted. "You're not a child, no matter how much you act like it. This is taking that charade a bit too far, isn't it?"

Tony's expression broke, forming into a fond smile as he grabbed Loki's hand, laced their fingers together, and pulled him towards the swings.

"Oh, no, I'm dead serious. We're doing this, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Loki chuckled. "Are you sure about that?"

Tony reconsidered. "Mm, okay, there's nothing you will do to stop it."

"And how do you know that?" Loki inquired.

"Because I'm asking you to, and you're just the slightest bit intrigued by this."

Loki considered for a moment finally letting out a dramatic sigh and nodding. "Fine, I'll give it a try, but you're not making me do this again!"

Tony nodded and laughed. "Fine, but don't knock it before you try it!"

They'd reached the swingset by then and Tony gestured to the swing next to the one he was taking for his own.

"Your throne awaits, your highness."

Loki smiled, mind reeling back through all kinds of memories, brought on by Tony's words. Some of them were good memories. The first time they'd kissed, so hesitant at first, but the raging fire beneath had soon taken over and consumed them, sweeping them away in a wave of moans and pleasure. The first time he'd woken next to Tony, the soothing warmth and weight curled against him, marks along both of their necks evidencing the mutual claim.

And some were…not so good. The undeniable loneliness that had come with his ascent to the throne. Thor's return and the hatred he'd seen in his brother's eyes, his brother who had long been his lone ally in Asgard, when all others sneered at his named, turned their noses up in his presence. His last plea to his father for trust, for faith, for forgiveness.

The abyss.

Loki cut off that train of thought, focusing on then and there, that moment when Tony, while he was staring at Loki intently, waiting to discern every minute reactionary facial expression.

Loki arranged his face into a blank (if vaguely skeptical) mask and pushed off with is legs.

He swung back about two feet before swinging forward again, feet digging into the ground and stopping him.

He looked down at the ground in annoyance.

"I seem to be too large for this thing," he stated bluntly.

"No you're not," Tony laughed. "Here, like this."

Tony pushed off, swinging his feet back as he went backwards, then forwards as he changed direction. Pass by pass, he got higher until he was swinging up level with the bar overhead to which the chains were attached.

"Just swing your legs with you," Tony instructed him from above. "You'll figure it out."

Loki tried once more, this time managing to gain some height, though his movements were awkward.

"Why do children enjoy this?" he demanded.

"Because they learn to do it when they're young and less stubborn about it," Tony laughed.

Loki eventually figured out how and when to move his legs, smoothing out his motion, and soon, he was going as high as Tony was. He smirked triumphantly and Tony just rolled his eyes at him.

"Is it as bad as you were expecting?" Tony asked.

"It's not as good as you made it out to be," Loki firmly decided, though the smile on his face gave him away.

"Are you gaining at least a bit of respect for our 'simple Midgardian contraptions' yet?" Tony had been introducing Loki to all sorts of things people did on Earth – videogames, cars, board games, just whatever he could think of, and Loki usually reacted to them by scoffing, but Tony ws determined to catch Loki in the lie and make him admit that he enjoyed doing at least some things down on Midgard – aside from a certain genius billionaire playboy philanthropist.

"Don't kid yourself," Loki said, but the smile on his face was genuine, rather than just a simple smirk. Tony smiled, too, but he didn't say anything. The silence between them spoke for itself, as it always did.


End file.
